It is known to deploy various manned and unmanned spacecraft, space stations and flying bodies in orbit in space for carrying out various missions with scientific, experimental, communication, reconnaissance, or other purposes, and for inspecting, servicing, repairing or constructing other spacecraft or flying bodies, such as satellites, space shuttles, space stations, or the like. Furthermore, in this context it will be useful to provide small free-flying autonomous and automated platforms in orbit for carrying out or supporting the above mentioned utility functions or missions. This relates especially to missions for supporting the extra vehicular activities, or so-called EVA, of astronauts outside of spacecraft or other manned space bodies such as the space shuttle, space stations, or future planned (and as yet unplanned but possible) manned interplanetary missions. It will further be necessary to provide suitable apparatus for the inspection, maintenance, servicing, and operation of such small free-flying automatic platforms, in order to assure the continuous and permanent operational availability of these platforms and to optimize the operational processes to be carried out on these platforms. The prior art has not yet provided any such systems, apparatus, or methods.